Woodside has amended its proposal to mine for gas in the Browse Basin to 2070. If approved, this would extract gas from directly underneath Scott Reef with devastating consequences.
How to make a submission
Submissions can be made by filling in the form on the EPA’s website. Please note all submissions will be made public. Submissions are due Tuesday, June 10th.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Browse basin is a collection of gas deposits approximately 450 km off the coast of North Western Australia. The approval and operation of this project to 2070 will directly impact on the vulnerable Scott Reef marine ecosystem that sits on top of the gas field.
The EPA has provided a form that you can fill out on their website. The headings below correspond to different sections of the form:
- Other matters – The risk to Scott Reef
-
- Scott Reef is a vulnerable reef system that is already suffering from the impacts of climate change with warming oceans, sea level rises and storm surges.
- Extraction of gas from directly underneath the reef resulting in increased subsidence (sinking). This has the potential to drown the reef and submerge the Sandy Islet that is a critical nesting site for a genetically distinct variant of the Green Turtle.
- Interrupt migratory marine life that come to feed in the nutrient rich waters that are the result of an upwelling (60m underwater wave that brings nutrients to the surface).
- Proposed relocation of the TRD drill centre
-
- There is no environmentally sound way to drill on, near or under a reef.
- Distance from Sandy Islet doesn’t take into account migratory routes that would increase the morbidity of hatchlings further putting the turtles at risk.
- There doesn’t appear to have been any assessment of what is on the ocean floor in the new locations or the new areas of seabed disturbance.
- Proposed use of dual pyrotechnic shear rams
-
- There is no best practice for stopping an oil leak on or near a reef.
- The only acceptable level of risk is no risk.
- Woodside’s own modelling shows a spill would still impact the Scott Reef ecosystem.
- Proposed changes to the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit
-
- The only acceptable level of noise that would impact a pygmy blue whale’s behaviour is none.
- Increased noise disturbances still occur during positioning.
- Drilling sound disturbances are unchanged (10.5km radius).
- The impact that the proposed will have on other marine life and consequently the ecosystem needs to be examined.
Need more help?
Join one of our online submission-writing workshops: